ARTBA presents awards to MDOT for educational program, museum

Transportation construction organizations were recently recognized at the American Road & Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation's Sixth Annual Pride Awards Luncheon.

During the program, the Mississippi Department of Transportation won second place in the Public-Media Relations/Education Category for its Transportation & Civil Engineering Educational Program, and second place in the Community Relations Category for its Transportation Exploration Museum.

Students in Mississippi have a greater understanding and appreciation of the transportation industry as a result of MDOT's educational program, developed by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and implemented by MDOT.

MDOT's "Transploreum" exhibit, located on the campus of Tupelo Middle School, provides an environment for students to explore the impacts of transportation on all aspects of life. It includes distance learning classrooms, murals, photos and other displays depicting the history of transportation and highlights of Mississippi's transportation milestones.

The facility, a collaboration between federal and state transportation officials, local leaders and educators, has reached hundreds of children and benefited the community.

Mississippi became the first state to incorporate the TRAC program into the career discovery curriculum on a statewide basis. The TRAC modules provide complete lesson plans for teachers and offer students exciting hands-on activities for solving real-world transportation challenges while addressing state and national standards of learning.

Established by the ARTBA board of directors in October 1999, the PRIDE Awards honor "excellence in community relations and public education that enhance the image of the U.S. transportation construction industry."

Better Roads and Roads & Bridges magazines sponsored this year's awards competition. An independent panel of public relations professionals and construction industry journalists selected the winners.

Irby gets Entergy contract

Stuart C. Irby Co. of Jackson, Miss., has been awarded a multi-year contract by Entergy Corp. to provide utility materials and services to the northern region of the Entergy Network.

The network includes electric power customers in Arkansas and Mississippi. Stuart C. Irby Co. will provide transmission and distribution materials and purchase necessary utility supplies to serve Entergy's construction program.

Eddie Moak, vice president of Stuart C. Irby Co.'s Utility Division, said the multi-million-dollar contract will result in additional jobs and expanded market share for the company.

"We have hired additional staff to support this project and they will be assigned to the Entergy Distribution Center in Little Rock, Ark.," Moak said.

Dickerson & Bowen recognized for company brochure

The National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) announced recently that Dickerson & Bowen Inc. of Brookhaven, Miss., has won its 2004 Brochure Award competition. The company received the award at a special ceremony at NAPA's 50th Annual Convention in Hawaii.

The award recognizes outstanding company brochures published to promote the Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) industry.